Device and method for rounding book covers



Aug. 12, 1968 K. FOMM 3,460,174

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ROUNDING BOOK COVERS Filed June 13, 1966 2 Shams-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 4641a fie/14M Aug. 12, 1969 FOMM DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ROUNDING BOOK COVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1966 INVENTOR K421. FaMM United States Patent 3,460,174 DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ROUNDING BOOK COVERS Karl Fomm, Ferdinand-Lasalle-Strasse 17, Leipzig, C1, Germany Filed June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 557,203 Int. Cl. B42c 13/00, 19/00; B4211 3/00 US. Cl. 11-5 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device and method for rounding book covers. The book is received on and automatically moved along a support means to a first rounding station where a first rounding means automatically acts on the book to round the connection between one of the covers thereof with the back of the book. Then the book is automatically turned through 90 and is received in this latter condition automatically at a second rounding station where it is again acted upon so as to round the connection between the other cover and the back of the book.

The invention relates to a device and a method for rounding of book covers along their connection to the longitudinal spine of the book.

Devices and methods are known whereby a book is placed on a yielding support while a book cover thereon is rounded along its connection with the book spine by means of a rounding tool. Thereafter, the whole book is manually turned over and the other cover is rounded in the same manner.

The disadvantage of such known devices and methods is that the books must be turned over manually, which requires considerable effort and dexterity, and otherwise unnecessary personnel. Furthermore, the manual turning of the books increases the chances of accident for the operating personnel.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to eliminate the operating personnel which heretofore has been required to turn the books over manually; and, instead, to perform the turning of the books automatically,

It is a further object of the invention to provide devices for pressing the book against a support table and against a rounding tool.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide mechanical means, free from dependence upon manual operation or control, whereby a more rapid rate production may be realized.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved by placing the book into a holding device and round shaping the connection of one of its covers with the spine of the book at a first rounding station. Subsequently, the book cover is conveyed to a second rounding station, while it is simultaneously turned around so that the second cover is in position for being rounded at the second station. For this purpose, inclined guide means are arranged between the round shaping stations which turn the book over about an axis parallel to its direction of travel through the device.

The device includes means for pressing successive books against the support table and means for pressing the books against a rounding tool.

Further in accordance with the invention the turning of the books into the second operating position is performed without reciprocating machine parts, but simply by translatory displacement of the book by fixed mechanical means.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

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FIG. 1 is a semidiagrammatic longitudinal elevation of a device for rounding book covers, constructed and arranged according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse view, shown partly in section, of a rounding station with certain parts removed for clarity; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the drawings, there is shown a book cover rounding device comprising a horizontal support table 10 along which a book 11 may be moved on one side thereof for having one of its covers rounded along the line of its connection with the spine of the book.

The book 11 is moved along the table 10, to the right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, by means of a feed element 12 which moves in contact with the end of the book and with the table. The feed element 12 is carried by a feed rail 13 extending horizontally above it longitudinally of, and parallel to the support table 10. The feed element passes through bearing members 14 which support and guide it. Feed rail 13 is reciprocated by a horizontal feed rod 15 pivotally connected to it between the bearing members 14 and pivotally connected to a crank 16 fixed to a vertical shaft 17 connected to the main drive shaft 18 of the device by bevel gears 19. Thus, the book 11 shown in FIG. 3 may be moved to the right along the support table 10 by the feed element 12.

The support table 10 to which reference is made is divided longitudinally into two equal parts, the second part constituting a yieldingly arranged support 10a forming a part of a first rounding station S In order that one cover of the book may be rounded, the support 10a may be turned at substantially 45 from the horizontal, by means which will now be described.

As shown in the large-scale transverse view, somewhat diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2, the yieldingly arranged support 10a is fixed to one end of a sleeve member 20. The sleeve member 20, and with it the yielding support 10a, is biased toward the level of the suport table 10 by a helical spring 21 surrounding a guide stem 22 extending axially through the sleeve member. The helical spring and the guide stem extend beyond the sleeve member and into a bushing 23 at the inner end of which both the spring and the stem are fixed. The bushing is fastened within a cylindrical member 24 which, in turn, is fixed to a carrier 25, slidably carried by trunnions 26 extending into longitudinal channels 27 within a fixed part of the frame of the device. See FIG. 1.

The carrier 25 is operated by a cam 28 suitably fixed to the main drive shaft 18 of the device. Thus a lever 29, pivoted at one end with respect to the frame, has a cam follower 30 pivoted intermediate its ends and engaging a cam track 28a of the cam. Pivotally connected at one end to the free end of the lever 29 is an arm 31 having a pin 32 fixed in its opposite upper end adapted to slide reciprocally around a fixed arcuate track 33 above the cam. The arm 31 carries the carrier 25. Thus, when the crank 16, the feed rod 15, the feed rail 13 and the first feed element 12 move a book upon the yieldingly arranged support 10a (then at the level of the support table 10) the cam is moved to turn the carrier 25 into a position which will bring the yieldingly arranged support into a position at substantially 45 from the horizontal. The positions of the elements will then be those illustrated in FIG. 2.

It is to be noted that the feed element 12 is pivoted through a slot therein to the feed rail 13 for lateral swinging thereabout and that this arrangement permits the feed element, by virtue of its weight and the contact between its squared lower end to follow the turning of the yieldingly arranged support 1011.

The carrier 25 also carries the rounding tool 34 pivoted therein; and this tool is rotated by known or convenient means (not shown) in order to round a book cover when in the position shown in FIG. 2. When the rounding has been completed, the turning cam track 28a causes the arm 31 to move upwardly with its pin 32 following the fixed arcuate track 33, thereby turning the carrier 25 so as to return the ieldingly arranged support ltia to its original horizontal position.

In order that a second book 11 may be brought upon the yieldingly arranged support a, the feed rail is lifted so that the feed element 12 is raised clear of the book while rotation of the crank 16 reverses the direction of movement of the feed rod and with it movement of the feed rail 13. This is effected by lifting the bearing members 14 which support and guide the rail. To this end, the bearing members are mounted upon vertically reciprocable rods 35 which are raised and lowered by pivotal connections 36 with a bent lever 37 rocked by the cam 28 about a pivot 38 in known manner (not illustrated). Thus the raising and lowering of the bearing members is coordinated with the rounding of the book covers.

As the second book 11 is advanced by the first feed element 12 upon the yieldingly arranged support 10a, a second feed element 12, also carried by the feed rail 13, advances the book having one cover rounded to a third section of the support table 16. As shown in FIG. 3, this third section is offset from the two sections already described. In order that the other cover of the book may be rounded in the manner which has been described, it is necessary that the book be turned over at this point. Accordingly, mechanical means is provided for turning the book through 90 about an axis extending in the direction of its movement through the device.

As here shown, this means comprises two vertically spaced rods 39 and 4t fixed to the frame of the device where the book leaves the yieldingly arranged support, the lower rod supporting the book and directing it slightly above the third section of the support table, and the upper rod contacting the book and being more sharply inclined toward the third section to turn the book over as it slides off of the first rod onto the section. See FIGS. 1 and 3.

Thereafter, the book, in inverted position, is moved by a third feed element 12 carried by the feed rail 13 upon a fourth section of the support table 10. This fourth section is a yieldingly arranged support 10a and a second rounding station S and the elements which turn the yieldingly arranged support and round the book cover are the same as those heretofore described, but are positioned on the opposite side of the support table. All such elements operate at the same time as those which have been previously described.

When the second book cover has been rounded, a fourth feed element removes the book from the device.

I claim:

1. Device for rounding book covers, comprising moving means for moving a book along a given path, a first and a second rounding station arranged one after the other along said path, a rounding means at each of said rounding stations for rounding first one and then the other of the connections between said book covers and the back of the back of the book, a support means at each rounding station for supporting said book in a position resting on one side at said first rounding station and on an opposite side at said second rounding station, and turnover means between said stations for automatically turning a book from one side to the other side thereof as it moves from said first to said second rounding station to position the book after it has been acted upon by the rounding means at the first rounding station in a position to be acted upon by the rounding means at the second rounding station.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, said support means at said stations respectively having upwardly directed supporting surfaces disposed in oppositely inclined positions during movement of a book therealong, said turnover means including upper and lower guides between which the book moves to be turned by said guides over from its position resting on one side on said support means at said first rounding station to its position resting on its opposite side at said support means at said second rounding station.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, said moving means continuously moving said book and including a plurality of book-engaging members arranged along said moving means for engaging and automatically moving said book to said first and said second rounding stations.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,569,265 1/1926 Clark et al 1l5 X 2,635,262 4/1953 Schramm 111 2,714,732 8/1955 Traettino 11-1 2,853,725 9/1958 Schoenberger 111 2,893,023 7/1959 Crawley et a1 11-1 2,921,322 1/1960 Crawley et a1 111 3,132,360 5/1964 Hawkes et al. 115 3,199,129 8/1965 Hawkes et a1 l1-5 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 11-1 

